Sycamore Hall, Sheffield

Architect Paul Testa has turned a typical 1960s stone-clad bungalow into a beautiful, stylish low energy home, one which uses VELFAC glazing to make the most of beautiful valley views while also meeting stringent air tightness and energy performance targets.

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‘As a practice, our philosophy is to build homes which are enjoyable to live in, while also being sustainable, and good value,’ explains Paul. ‘The new owners of Sycamore Hall – located just outside Sheffield – fully embraced this approach; they wanted to turn the property into a comfortable, modern, low energy home, one which embraced the surrounding countryside, and so we embarked on an ambitious retro-fit which included both extending the building and installing VELFAC windows.’

A good view often means a more exposed location, and this was certainly the case at Sycamore Hall – and another reason for specifying VELFAC. ‘Almost all the units are triple glazed,’ says Paul. ‘This allowed us to install large windows designed to ‘blur’ the boundary between inside and out without compromising thermal insulation or air tightness. Triple glazing also means a significant drop in energy consumption, resulting in a home which is cheaper to run while allowing the owners to fully enjoy – rather than just be protected from – the surrounding hills and changing weather.’